Gastric Band Removal: When is it Necessary?

The gastric band surgery is an operation designed to make it much easier for obese patients to lose weight. The gastric band is placed around the top of the stomach, which essentially reduces the amount of food you can intake on a daily basis. Eating less food every day slowly helps the pounds fall off. While the gastric band surgery is usually extremely effective, there is a small possibility of complications. If someone goes wrong after the surgery, then you will have to undergo another procedure to remove the gastric band from your stomach. This is referred to as gastric band removal.

There are several reasons why you will need to get your gastric band removed. The most common issue is that you are not losing enough weight. The goal of the initial procedure is to help you lose approximately 40 to 45 percent of your excess weight. If you are struggling to lose at least 25 percent of your excess weight, then the gastric band may need to come off. Poor weight loss accounts for almost half of the gastric band removal procedures.

You will also have to undergo gastric band removal if you are experiencing any problematic side effects. For example, there is a small possibility that the band can slide down the stomach. Since this would limit your positive results by increasing the size of the stomach, the gastric band must be removed after changing positions.

The gastric band removal surgery is a very simple procedure, so there is no reason to put it off. The entire gastric band removal surgery can be performed in the comfort of a state-of-the-art surgical facility.